The Royal Society of St. George in Radford has announced that the St. George Day Parade will go ahead this year. St. George's Day falls on the Saturday April 23 and the parade will start at 12pm.
The parade will start with a meeting by the Thurland on Pelham Street, before moving on to Hounds Gate. The St. George's Day raffle will take place at 3pm with prizes donated from local businesses including beautician, takeaway and DG taxi vouchers. All of the proceeds will go on keeping the parade as an annual event.
The parade usually lasts for half an hour with celebrations into the day in the city centre across pubs and Old Market Square. This year marks the 16th parade for St. George's Day .
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This is the first year the parade has taken place in three years due to Covid although organisers are following guidelines. There are a number of events planned for the parade which have become firm favourites among visitors including the giant flag and horses in traditional dress.
Nottingham's official Robin Hood, Tim Pollard is excited to see the return of the event. He has led the parade for many years and is happy that the city will have a chance to celebrate together again.
"I'm extraordinary pleased about it as we have missed it for obvious reasons," he said. "It's going to be great and a celebration of Nottingham and England national saint. Its very badly needed.
"I've been lucky to lead it for many years now. Having Robin Hood at the front with the Sheriff in Old Market Square gets a fabulous crowd that come out cheer us on and get involved. We also have the biggest St. George's flag in the UK."
St Patrick's Day celebrations recently took place in Old Market Square but there was no parade.
Philip Harwood, branch secretary for The Royal Society of St. George in Radford said:
"The horses will be led by the knights of Nottingham, the medieval jousters and the animals will be dressed in full regalia. Notts cricket club's mascot, Nuts the squirrel will be joining in too. Its a day to celebrate being proud of being English but also to come together especially after no parade for two years."
He added: "We are expecting the public will be on board and they usually dress up for the day with their roses on. We will have roses and flags on hand on the day as well. We all lined up under the flag in Old Market Square which makes a great photo. It's the biggest St. George's celebration in the world that is held on the actual day."
The Royal Society of St. George in Radford is still fundraising for the parades through their website. They receive no funding for the event so rely on donations and raffles. The event is organised by the society led by chairman Stuart Buxton.
"It usually costs about £3000 to £4000 for a 20 minute walk which is a lot of money. We are volunteers at the end of the day and we do it for the love of it," Philip said.
Nottingham City Council confirmed they are planning for the parade but it will not be on the same scale as previous years due to Covid. St. George will be available on horseback for photos after the parade and the giant flag will be raised on the outside of the council house on Old Market Square.
Councillor Eunice Campbell-Clark, Portfolio Holder for Leisure, Culture, and Schools at Nottingham City Council, said:
“The annual St George’s Day parade is one of the most colourful and vibrant events in the city and we know how much people look forward to it. It is great to see the parade making a return as events start to come back gradually after the necessary cancellations due to the pandemic."
"We are pleased to be supporting the great work of the team at the Radford branch of the Royal Society of St. George and we look forward to seeing them alongside the giant flag on the Council House on April 23.”
Local businesses in the city will also be preparing a full day of events for visitors looking to join in which will be announced in the coming weeks. The Salutation Inn on Hounds Gate is expecting the day to be one of their busiest so far this year thanks to St. George's Day and a metal festival falling on the same day.
Bar and event manager, Sam Brown says that the metal festival, Dogtallica is one of the most popular events at the pub. The event is to raise money for Mucky Paws, a small family-run dog rescue in Wollaton.
"St. George's Day is usually one of our busiest days of the year because the street, Hounds Gate is filled with the end of the parade. Then we also have Dogtallica which is an all-day festival raising money for Mucky Paws which is also one of our busiest events. The two combined mean its going to be a really interesting day for us," he said.
Previous years have seen celebrations that included medieval maiden flanked by two knights on horseback led hundreds of patriotic revellers to Old Market Square, where the largest St George Cross flag in the country hung proudly from the council house.
